Kanto Leave Without Dinner
by Just4FunFiction
Summary: Just a little bonus scene that occurs near the end of the final episode of Pokemon Sun and Moon. While everyone knows that they have to leave for Alola soon, Brock and Misty have one last surprise for everyone, which brings out a surprising truth from two of the students.


"So, class, that concludes our trip to the Kanto region!" Professor Kukui spoke up, now that Ash's battle with Misty had concluded. "I hope you've all enjoyed what you have experienced here, and everything you've learned!"

"It was the best!" Sophocles spoke first, Togedemaru squeaking happily.

"Definitely!" Mallow spoke next. "It was so much fun!" Steenee agreed.

"It was so exciting!" Lillie added, with Snowy voicing her excitement too.

"I had so much fun!" Lana added as well. "Especially meeting so many Pokémon! Right, Popplio?" Popplio clapped as it squeaked in agreement.

"I've gotta admit, this was a pretty cool experience," Kiawe spoke up. "Not only to see a new region, but to experience a new battling style!" He glanced over at Brock. "Don't expect the same result next time we battle!"

Brock grinned back. "I wouldn't count on it!"

"What about you, Ash?" Misty asked.

"It's been so awesome!" He spoke. "It's been great to see you both again, and battle with you! I'm so glad we came here!"

"Well, it sounds like you've all had a good time!" Kukui spoke up. "I know that when we go back to Alola, this will be a memory you'll cherish for a long time!"

"Buuut!" Brock spoke up. "Before you do that, I think it's only fair that we eat together! After all, you can't go back on an empty stomach, especially if you're Ash!"

While the rest of his friends giggled, Ash smiled. "That's true. Besides, Brock's cooking is amazing! I could never say no to it!"

Mallow smirked, putting a hand on her hip. "Oh, really, Ash? Is Brock's cooking better than mine?"

Ash grew nervous, scratching behind his ear. "Erm, well, no… uh…" he stuttered, much to everyone else's amusement. "I mean, uh… Well…"

"So, you're a cook as well, Mallow?" Brock asked, ultimately ending Ash's misery as he let out a huge sigh.

"Uh Huh! My family owns a restaurant on Melemele Island, and it's my dream to help make that restaurant the best in all of Alola!"

"Really? Well, then, would you like to help me prepare the dinner? Perhaps I can share a recipe from Kanto with you!"

Her eyes widened at the idea, glistening. "You mean it? I would love to!"

"Sure, I mean it! I would be honoured!"

"Oh, thank you so much! Doesn't that sound great, Steenee?"

"Stee!"

"Well, while they're doing that," Misty suggested, "why don't I show you guys where I look after the rest of the Pokémon at the gym? And, if you want, I'll even let you meet some of them!" Everyone voiced their excitement at the idea! "Alright! What are we waiting for?"

* * *

Brock and Mallow had quickly found the kitchen in the Cerulean gym, and Mallow looked around in awe of the size of the kitchen and the appliances that were at their disposal. "Wow! This kitchen is so cool!"

"Why don't we get started with the Pokémon food first?" Brock suggested, putting on an apron. "That way, when our dinner is ready, we can serve it while it's hot."

"That sounds like a good idea." She set her bag on one of the hangers, and pulled out her apron. Looking down while she applied her apron, she saw Steenee, looking up at her eagerly. "You want to help too, Steenee?"

"Steenee!"

She giggled happily. "Okay, you can help." As she grabbed Steenee's apron, and put it on her partner Pokémon, she saw that Brock had an amused look on his face. She laughed nervously. "I always have our aprons on me."

He chuckled. "I take it, then, that you're the one who usually cooks in your group?"

"That's right. I'm guessing that you were when you travelled with Ash, too."

Brock nodded, reaching to grab an apron from the hangers. "Yep, and believe me- when you're travelling with Ash, food is high up on the list of priorities."

She laughed. "That sounds about right." She allowed her arms to drop by her side while they walked towards the sinks. Steenee hopped up onto a stool, while Mallow turned on the taps. Allowing the hot water to run, she placed her hands under first and started to wash up. "So, uh, how did you and Ash meet?"

"Well, as you know, I used to be the gym leader at the Pewter City gym. Ash challenged me, but he was unsuccessful in his first attempt. It wasn't until after my dad helped him and Pikachu to train." Mallow stepped aside to dry her hands, allowing Steenee to begin washing hers. "So, when Ash challenged me again, he was a lot stronger."

"And this time, Ash won, right?"

Brock chuckled, moving to wash his hands when Steenee had finished. "Not exactly." Mallow looked at him, confused. "Let's just say some of my siblings caused his win to be a… technicality."

"Oh." She didn't fully understand, but decided that there was no need to push it further. "So, what happened next?"

Brock turned off the hot water and grabbed some paper towels to dry his hands. "Well, I was going to give Ash the Boulder Badge right away, but he didn't want to accept it because of how the battle ended. I could tell how much Ash's dream meant to him, so I caught up with him and gave him the badge anyway. I asked my dad to take over as gym leader, and from there, Ash and I travelled throughout Kanto, and later to Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh."

"Wow… it sounds like you two had a lot of adventures together."

Brock smiled. "Yeah… and Ash helped me more times than I can remember. If I hadn't met Ash, I'd never have even thought about chasing my own dream, to become a Pokémon doctor."

She smiled as well. "That sounds like Ash."

"Yeah…" He brought his hands together. "Right, let's get started!" He opened up the cookbook that was on the counter. "If you get the ingredients, I'll get the equipment and make sure everything's started. That sound okay?"

"Yeah, I can do that!" She looked at the list of ingredients, then walked towards the large industrial refrigerator, opening it up to see a vast array of ingredients available. 'Woah…' she thought. 'There's some ingredients in here I've never seen before!' Fortunately, she was familiar with the ingredients she needed, so she quickly grabbed those and returned to Brock. "I believe this is everything, right?"

He looked at the assortment of berries and other ingredients that Mallow spread out on the table and nodded. "Yep! Okay, so if you're okay with this, I'll handle the batter while you and Steenee prepare the berries." Mallow and Steenee nodded, immediately getting to work, with both trainer and Pokémon dicing the berries, while Brock grabbed a bowl and put in the ingredients for the batter. "So, Mallow, how did you guys meet Ash? I remember hearing that Ash and his mom were in Alola on vacation, and when Delia returned, she said he had enrolled at the school."

"Well, while Ash and his mom were in Alola, they had an egg that he needed to deliver to Principal Oak. When he first arrived on campus, I thought he was originally going to be a student, so I took him to see the Principal, who explained why he was really there. I offered to show Ash around the campus, and while I did, Kiawe had a run-in with some thugs called Team Skull."

"Stee!" She heard Steenee say. Looking towards the grass-type, she saw that all of the berries were prepared.

"That's great, Steenee! Good job!" She gathered up the berries that both she and Steenee had diced, and placed them into a blender. "How's the batter coming, Brock?"

"It's almost ready, so once the berries are blended, we should be ready to put them together." He grabbed a whisk and started to mix the ingredients together. "So,

I'm guessing that Team Skull wanted Kiawe's Pokémon, and Ash stepped in to help?" She nodded. "That sounds like Ash- always willing to stand up for people."

She giggled. "Sounds about right. After that, he enrolled at the school, and has been staying with Professor Kukui ever since."

"Sounds like a lot of fun out there."

"It really is, especially now Ash is there!" She turned off the blender, and saw that the berries were ready. "So, should I just pour these into the batter?"

"Uh huh! Once it's all mixed, I'll place it over some boiling water, and allow it to separate." He placed the bowl down, allowing Mallow to pour the berry mix into the batter, before he picked it up and started mixing it again.

"Hey, Brock? Can I ask you something?" He nodded, glancing at her while she rubbed her foot nervously against the back of her leg. "Wh… what was Ash like when you travelled with him?"

Brock slowed down for a second, noticing the tone of her voice that she used to ask that question, then started whisking again. "Hmm… to be completely honest, he doesn't seem too different from the Ash I travelled with. Loves to battle, cares for his friends and Pokémon, and although he seems a bit more mature, he can still be hotheaded and a bit dense at times." He heard Mallow giggle, which confirmed his suspicions. "If you don't mind me asking, Mallow, how do you feel about Ash?"

"Huh?" This caught her off guard, making it harder for her to think of a response. "Well, uh… I guess… ugh." She sighed, her head dropping. "Was it that obvious I liked him?"

"Not until just now, no. And hey, don't worry about it. I'm pretty sure the others didn't notice back there."

"I guess… but I'm pretty sure Ash doesn't know."

"I wouldn't be surprised. Ash has had a number of admirers on his travels, and as far as I know, he doesn't tend to realise." After he put the now ready Pokémon food mix on the table, he looked at Mallow, who was disheartened by his answer. "Hey," he told her gently, giving a friendly smile as she looked up. "It doesn't mean give up. With Ash, the best advice I can give would be to talk to him about it. Sometimes, he needs to be shown stuff like this, but he catches on quick, and he does care about those who are close to him."

"You think so?" He nodded. "I don't know, Brock. He probably doesn't feel that way about me."

"The only way you'll know is if you talk to him. Besides, if Ash cares for you like he does the rest of your friends, he won't want to hurt your feelings."

She sighed, a smile slowly creeping in. "I guess you're right. Thanks, Brock."

"Of course." He turned to the counter and placed the bowl of Pokémon food mix, and put it over a bowl of water he prepared at the start, then moved it onto the hob and turned it on, allowing the water to heat up. "While that's starting to boil, why don't we get to work on dinner for everyone?"

Her smile perked up again. "Okay!"

* * *

While Mallow and Brock continued to cook dinner, Misty was showing the rest of the gang her other Pokémon. Lana was obviously the most excited to see the variety of water type Pokémon, kneeling right at the edge of the pool to pet a Dewgong while Popplio swam around in the pool, and Pikachu ran around the pool to play with some of the Pokémon, but that didn't stop the others from enjoying the experience. Sophocles and Togedemaru stared on in amazement through the pool glass as different Pokémon swam by, and Kiawe watched on, still enjoying the experience but not as enthusiastically as the electric-type user, while Lillie watched a little more cautiously with Snowy in her arms. She knew that they wouldn't be able to touch her, but wanted to keep some distance anyway. Ash and Misty were up by the pool with Lana, sat talking on a bench.

"Does it feel weird being back in Kanto?" the gym leader asked.

"Kind of," Ash replied. "I mean, I know I'm going to be back here when my journey in Alola is finished, but being back so soon… it's both awesome and sudden."

"I can imagine. Still, it must be a whole new experience out there. Especially since you're attending a school, rather than exploring the entire region for once."

"Yeah, but at the same time, I'm so glad I am. I'm learning so much out there, in such a different way, and it means that I get to hang out with all of my friends there. If I was travelling, I doubt I'd be able to do that, since we all have such different goals."

"That's true. So," she turned to look at him face on, "tell me about these guys. I mean, I've gotten to talk with them, and they all seem really nice, but what do you feel about these guys?"

"That's a good question." He took a second to think about how he was going to answer the question. "Well," he looked towards Kiawe, "Kiawe can be… intense at times- which, being a fire-type user, makes sense- but he really pushes us to be our best, just like how he's always pushing to be his best."

"Sounds a lot like you, Ash," she giggled, which made him laugh as well.

"Yeah." He next turned his gaze towards Lana. "Lana is pretty cool. She's ambitious and caring, and she's a really good storyteller… although, I hope she doesn't tell any more horror stories." Again, they laughed at this, before Ash looked in Lillie's direction. "Lillie is really kind. Even though she's still scared of touching certain Pokémon, I know that she really cares about them, and us too." Then, he looked towards Sophocles. "Sophocles is pretty cool too. He's great with data and technology, and believe it or not, he has a bigger appetite than me."

"I find that hard to believe, but okay. What about Mallow?"

"Mallow? Mallow's… awesome." She noticed that his smile increased, just a touch. "She's so ambitious, and fun to hang out with, as are the others, but… Mallow's just so…"

"Cute?" Misty suggested, giving a little giggle. When Ash looked at her, confused, she groaned. "You really are a kid still, aren't you, Ash? You don't realise that you like her?"

Ash blushed. "W-well, I don't know if I'd put it… q-quite like that."

"And now you're nervous, blushing and stuttering. That just proves it!" His blush grew, but he smiled meekly, which made her amused at his naïveté. 'That's so cute!' "Have you asked her out?"

His smile turned to a frown as he looked at his feet. "No… I mean, she doesn't think of me that way, and why would she? She barely knows me."

Misty couldn't help but feel sorry for Ash. 'He must really like her! It's so sweet.' She gave him a nudge on his shoulder, and when he looked at her, she smiled warmly. "Ash, don't sell yourself so short! You're a great guy, and any girl would see that too."

He laughed a little, his smile returning. "You mean like you did?"

She smirked, putting her hands on her hips. "Oh, as if you realised that!"

"Hey, I noticed!" She raised an eyebrow at him, still smirking. "I mean, sure maybe not at first, but…" Her gaze was still strongly on him, causing him to sigh. "Okay, so I was clueless at the time. But I figured it out eventually!"

"Yeah, after we stopped journeying together!" His smile started to falter again, so she put a hand on his shoulder. "Ash, I know you can be dense at times, but I know you care deeply for your friends, and it sounds like you really like her, so don't let this one slip away."

"But I doubt she even likes me like that, you know?"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Ash. Just call it a hunch, but I think she might like you too."

"You really think so?"

"Mmhmm!"

He looked at her as she nodded, trying to decide if she was right. Then, he smiled, giving her a hug. "Thanks, Misty. I really appreciate it."

She smiled as well, returning the hug. "No problem, Ash." When they eventually broke the hug, she looked at him up and down. "You know, maybe you're not such a kid still after all." She didn't say anything else for a couple of seconds, before quickly grabbing his hat. "But you are kinda."

"Hey!" He pouted, grabbing back his hat, but he quickly turned his pout into a laughing smile. "You're not that mature yourself!" This rewarded him with a light slap on the shoulder, but they both had a laugh about it.

"Okay, everyone!" They heard Brock announce. "Dinner is ready!"

Everyone cheered for the idea of food, following Brock through to the dining area. Brock went back into the adjoining kitchen, before he, Mallow and Steenee returned with two food carts- one carrying bowls of Pokémon food, and the other carrying a large pot of Pewter Rock Stew, with bowls and spoons, and a pitcher of water with glasses. Everyone could smell the delicious stew, making their mouths water.

"Eat up, everyone!" Mallow spoke up.

"Alright! Come on out, everyone!" Ash shouted, throwing his Pokeballs in the air. Everyone else followed suit, summoning their Pokémon so they could eat too. While Mallow began to lay out the bowls of Pokémon food, Brock started serving the stew to everyone, who took their bowls gratefully and sat down at the tables to eat. When Mallow had finished, she joined the queue for the stew. It was only a matter of seconds before she grabbed her bowl, and she was going to sit with Lana and Lillie, but was surprised when Ash approached her. "Hey, Mallow? Would it be alright if I sit with you?"

Her eyes widened momentarily. "M-me?" She asked, receiving a nod and a smile in response. She smiled back and nodded, following Ash as the two of them sat down together at a table by themselves. Mallow saw that Lillie and Lana were giggling, but she gave it no thought. She watched as Ash took his first bite of the stew, and he paused straight after, which worried her. "Is it okay?"

"It's… unbelievable!" His lips grew into a wide smile. "I've always loved Brock's cooking, but I think you've made it five times better!"

"Wow! Really?!" His nod in response caused her to blush. "Thanks, Ash."

"I mean it! This is so amazing!"

"I'm glad! Brock gave me the recipe, so I might add it to the menu when we go back!" As Ash continued to eat, she took her first bite as well, smiling as she agreed that it was tasty. "I've gotta say, Ash- your battle against Misty was incredible!"

"Really? It was?"

"Definitely! I've never seen battling like that, especially how you countered that water hurricane! It was so ingenious!"

It was Ash's turn to blush. "Thanks." As they continued to eat, he noticed something which made him laugh a little. "Uh, Mallow? You still have your apron on."

Looking down, she laughed nervously. "Ahaha, yeah, I guess I do. I must have forgotten to take it off, I'll do that now."

"I mean, you don't have to. Besides, it looks good on you."

Her blush returned even stronger. "It… it does?"

"Totally! But, I won't force you to keep it on."

She thought for a second, then smiled. "I can just take it off later."

He smiled back. The two continued to eat and chat, enjoying each other's company. This did not go unnoticed by the others, but while most of them shrugged it off and returned to their own conversations and meals, Brock and Misty couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"Looks like Ash is starting to grow up," Brock commented, to which Misty nodded.

"Let's hope things work for those two," she replied, "I think they look good together." She turned to Brock. "Now all we need is for you to ask out a woman properly."

Brock pouted. "Hey… what was that for?"

She laughed at his wounded puppy act. "It's true. You could learn a thing or two from Ash."

"And you couldn't, miss 'international beauty'?"

She flicked her hair at him. "I can't help it if I'm irresistible!"

He chuckled, shaking his head at her. "Sure thing, Misty."

* * *

It wasn't long before the meal was at its end, and everyone returned their Pokémon. Professor Kukui led everyone out to the bus, where Professor Oak was waiting in the driver's seat. Everyone got on, with Ash- with Pikachu on his lap- and Mallow taking the back seats, Lillie and Lana sat in front of them, Sophocles and Kiawe sat on the opposite side, and Brock and Misty, and Principal Oak and Professor Kukui filling the front row. While the ride back would not be especially long, everyone had had a full and exciting day, so it was no surprise that a few of them fell asleep. Among those was Mallow, whose head fell gently onto Ash's shoulder. The Pikachu trainer noticed, but decided better of trying to wake her, seeing how comfortable she appeared.

'I wonder what she's dreaming about,' he thought. He mentally chuckled as he saw her smile. 'Must be a good dream, though.'

While Ash didn't know just how far that the two of them would go, or just what would happen between them, in that moment- as his own eyes gently shut, and his head rest gently against hers- he didn't care. He just knew that, whatever came their way, he would do as he would with every new experience- try, and hope for the best, no matter what.

THE END


End file.
